12.9.10

CARTER V BURNETT

Ali Carter starts favourite against Jamie Burnett to win the Shanghai Masters today but it's not been a good week for favourites.

Burnett ended 18 years of journeyman toil by beating a badly out of sorts Jamie Cope 6-1 in the semi-finals yesterday to progress to the first ranking final of his career, a run that has come completely out of the blue.

Carter's appearance in the final is less surprising. The world no.4 has been one of the most consistent performers for the last two years.

From 2-0 down to Mark Selby he was superb, particularly in completing a 69 clearance in the fourth frame with three of the last four reds on cushions.

Carter will be widely expected to triumph today but if the tournament has taught us anything it's to expect the unexpected.

Hello, Dave, I have a question (way off-topic here, sorry for that. It would have been off-topic anywhere but I must ask it and it's your insight into "the gods' secrets" I need lol): I've noticed that some high profile players no longer appear as 110 sport clients on the 110 sport site > Neil Robertson, Ken Doherty, Joe Perry, Marco Fu, Anthony Hamilton, Alan McManus. On the other hand, we have some certain 110 sport players' recent missed opportunities of shutting up and Lee Doyle ambition to re-enter WPBSA board stage. Has Mr Doyle been trying too hard to brainwash and manipulate his clients and some of them just said "No" and "Good-bye"?

Eurosport are quite simply awful,what's the point in showing the first 7 frames and then turning off for recorded rally that can be shown anytime? And even then they don't show the snooker up until it's advertised time! What a joke!

Surely the worst thing that could happen following the John Higgins match fixing enquiry was for Jamie Burnett to reach his first ranking final.Higgins was suspended for discussing a fix and sunsequently not reporting the approach but Burnett was involved in a match everyone thought was going to be a 9-3 defeat before it happened.Even the commnetators said so during the match.Its a bad result for snooker that Burnett is in the final as he could at least have been suspended pending the case rather than win 30k+ here today.Sad and avoidable.

If Burnett wins what are the odds the CPS will make an announcement? There was a far stronger case for suspending Burnett than Higgins (you can't fake betting patterns - they're the equivalent of DNA evidence in gambling fraud because mathematical analysis can calculate the exact odds of such a pattern occurring) but yet here we are...

"There have been loads of clearances under as much pressure and as good as Higgins 28 years ago. Its just that the standard back then was much poorer, so makes it look better."------------------------------------so many people missing the point with that break Alex did nothing can make that break look better it was a poor break what made it great was stage in the match and the risky pots he took on in it that if he missed just one he was out.

the carter break was great because he nudged balls on in to pottable position if he failed he played safe Alex just potted ball after ball under pressure just to give himself and the crowd a Buzz.

Alex was pissed out of his brain, Ali was stone cold sober, Alex was never in position, Ali was never out of position. Two great 69 breaks, two match turning breaks and two completely different breaks which cannot be compared to each other.